Razors for wet shaving typically include a cartridge carried by a handle, the cartridge includes an elongate blade with a rectilinear sharpened edge, or a plurality of such blades with parallel edges. The cartridge may be fixedly mounted on the handle with the intention that the entire razor be discarded when the blade edge or edges have become dulled. Alternatively, the cartridge can be detachably connected to the handle to enable replacement of a used blade unit with a fresh cartridge.
Some shaving consumers, particularly women, use this type of razor in the shower. For example, when shaving her legs a woman will often apply a film or lather of soap to a first area of skin to be shaved, shave that area, apply soap to a second area, and shave that area. This process is repeated until shaving is complete. Shaving in this manner may be difficult and frustrating, as it generally requires the shaving consumer to hold a wet bar of soap in one hand while wielding a razor in the other hand, often while standing in an awkward position on a slippery shower floor.
Attempts have been made to address this problem by providing soap mounted on a razor. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,584,690 describes a razor that carries a shaving preparation, e.g., in the form of a solid cake of soap that surrounds the cartridge.
There still remains a need, however, to satisfy the sophisticated shaving consumers who desire a razor product that not only applies a shaving aid to the skin during the shaving experience but also one that provides an improved conformation to the uneven surface of the skin to be shaved.